"Luck finally went my way this time" - Jurjen van der Velde finally puts youth final tears behind him ahead of PDC World Darts Championship debut

Jurjen van der Velde is preparing for his first appearance at the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. After two consecutive years of narrowly missing out on qualification, the 22-year-old from the north of the Netherlands can finally look forward to stepping onto the sport’s biggest stage.

In two weeks’ time, he’ll swap life on his family’s farm in Haulerwijk for the bright lights of Ally Pally — a moment that feels like the natural next step in a journey full of setbacks and progress.

Many darts fans will remember the painful 2024 World Youth Championship final: Van der Velde visibly shaken, five missed match darts behind him, and the trophy ultimately going to Gian van Veen. It was the second year in a row that he saw his World Championship hopes disappear at the very last moment.

“A lot hit me all at once. It was tough. In the first few weeks you’d see clips pop up on Facebook and that moment comes straight back to you,” he told De Telegraaf.

Despite that disappointment, he quickly managed to turn the page. “You can dwell on it, but that won’t make you any better. That final made me mentally stronger. Sometimes you have to take two steps back to take a few forward again.”

His strong showing at the Grand Slam of Darts in November was an early sign of that. Despite a very difficult group, he battled his way into the last 16, where he faced former world champion Luke Humphries. The defeat was heavy, but his 164 checkout made an impression. “When you’re that far behind, you might as well try to enjoy yourself. I got wiped off the stage.”

Van der Velde first discovered darts nine years ago through TV broadcasts. He began practising obsessively in the attic at home, inspired by Steve Beaton, Gary Anderson and Michael van Gerwen. Since then he has collected several Development Tour titles and came closer than ever to reaching the World Championship — though he still had to wait for the result of Owen Bates to make it official. “I could have screamed the darts into the board, but thankfully luck finally went my way this time after two failed years.”

Preparing for London takes time, but he still helps on the family farm when possible. Milking duties, however, are currently on pause. “I’ve been given a lot of space in this period because the Worlds require a lot of preparation.”

In the first round he’ll face a familiar name: fellow Dutchman Danny Noppert. Although they come from the same region, they have barely played each other. “We live about half an hour apart, but we’ve hardly ever met on the board. Danny is a tough opponent. He’s had a good year.”

Ideally, Van der Velde would have preferred that meeting to come later in the tournament — but he remains pragmatic. “Out of 128 players, the chance of two players from the same area drawing each other is tiny. But you can also look at it this way: at least one of us is guaranteed to go through. It’s going to be unbelievably special.”